Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP)

Workshop Series Coordinator

Position title:    SPP Workshop Series Coordinator Employer:         The Evergreen State College

Hours:               19 hrs/week, mostly during regular business hours

Duration:           August 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019; one-year extension dependent on funding Location:                          Sustainability in Prisons Project offices (Seminar 2 E 2119 and 2116)

Pay:                   $15.45/hour; additional funding may be available for thesis work on an SPP topic Supervisor:        Joslyn Rose Trivett, SPP Education & Outreach Manager

To apply:           Send cover letter and resume to Joslyn Rose Trivett trivettj@evergreen.edu by 5pm, June 5th 2018

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Responsibilities

The Sustainability in Prisons Project is a partnership founded by the Evergreen State College (Evergreen) and the Washington Department of Corrections (WA Corrections). Program coordinators work collaboratively with both founding partners, plus various program partners, to advance SPP’s mission and vision:

Mission: We empower sustainable change by bringing nature, science, and environmental education into prisons.

Vision: In response to the dual crises of ecological degradation and mass incarceration, we aim to reduce recidivism while improving human well-being and ecosystem health. SPP brings together incarcerated individuals, scientists, corrections staff, students, and program partners to promote education, conserve biodiversity, practice sustainability, and help build healthy communities.

Together, we reduce the environmental, economic, and human costs of prisons.

This position coordinates efforts of founding partner organizations (Evergreen and WA Corrections), and other partners in providing the monthly workshop series program at two-three WA state prisons and various one-time workshops and lectures, and in maximizing reentry (return to outside community)

benefits for incarcerated participants of SPP programs. The position requires outreach to individuals and organizations, representing SPP widely, and event facilitation. As a member of the SPP-Evergreen team, the position contributes to team building and advancing SPP as a whole. Specific responsibilities for this position described in bullets, below.

Overall, the primary responsibilities of all SPP program coordinators are to monitor and safeguard program health, and cultivate and maintain positive relationships with all program partners. New hires will be responsible for learning subject-matter expertise, and this effort will be well-supported on-the- job with early and ongoing trainings.

Reporting, Accountability, and Advancing SPP

• Provide weekly updates to supervisor and to the team every two weeks at SPP staff
• Actively participate in promoting the staff team and the organization as a whole, including:
  • Participate in team
  • Create and collaborate on outreach and dissemination materials
  • Identify and act on opportunities for inter-program support and enhancements
  • Present on SPP to varied audiences in multiple venues
  • Consider and contribute to proposals for new funding for SPP programs
• Maintain good communication through regular updates with team members at each
• Update tasks lists and keep current in a format agreeable to coordinator and
• Provide reports detailing accomplishments and progress as required by funding

Program coordination, general

• Monitor and safeguard overall health of the programs; participate in ongoing program improvement and problem
  • Cultivate and maintain positive relationships with all program partners (e.g. guest experts and their organizations) and DOC staff at host prisons; act as the point of contact for all program
• Track and report on program activities, ensure team access to program files, track program spending, update program protocols to represent current best

• Develop and update outreach and support materials to promote programs within and beyond WA Corrections
  • Basic administrative tasks such as: print and copy materials, order supplies, and schedule meetings
• Direct the work of volunteers and undergraduate interns who provide general program and research support.

Workshop Series

• Coordinate one workshop each month for two or more prisons. Coordinate 6 workshops or more each year for other WA

Preparations to include:

• Recruit guest experts, prepare their contracts, arrange security clearance and transportation, and promote each workshop in-prison; assist experts in preparing their sessions; prepare workshop surveys; coordinate media, equipment, and location needs for each workshop; and solicit from experts supplementary materials to enhance the workshop topic; make those materials available at and after the

Workshop delivery to include:

• Promote other SPP programs to workshop students; prepare and share hard copy articles, blogs, and photos of the workshop series with students and program partners,

as resources allow; share any security concerns and in-person inmate requests with WA Corrections staff and respond according to their advisement; administer workshop surveys; take photos, videos, and solicit and record meaningful testimonials (quotes) from students and partners.

Follow up to include:

• Contact experts with thanks and request for feedback; seek out workshop students’ requested topic(s); in response to strong in-prison interest, connect guest experts and other interested community members with prison staff to facilitate direct development of science and sustainability

Tracking and evaluation to include:

• Track workshop attendance and create certificates for students reaching milestones for workshop attendance; coordinate award of certificates to recipients; help develop and administer workshop series evaluation program to participating incarcerated students; create and update evaluations protocols; as resources allow, analyze and report on evaluation data

Program Enhancement for Reentry

• Solicit and encourage workshop and lecture content that will be valuable to individuals reentering the community, e.g., information about education and career

• Maintain and improve SPP’s (modest) reentry resources library, and make available to incarcerated and non-incarcerated partners to fullest extent
  • Seek out and cultivate relationships with individuals and organizations providing reentry services and oversight.
  • For incarcerated individuals interested in attending the Evergreen State College, facilitate their access to information about the curriculum and admissions. Offer pointers for navigating Evergreen as a previously-incarcerated
  • As resources allow, seek out, curate, and make accessible to in-prison users:
    • Periodicals (subscriptions)
    • Electronic files
  • Policy related SPP’s mission, humane prison reform, reentry, and post-release employment and

Educational Opportunities

• Work in a collaborative, engaged community of corrections professionals, scientists, researchers, technicians, faculty, staff, and

• Respond to SPP staff requests for review, research, and co-authoring
  • Present on SPP and our education and evaluations programs at conferences, publish articles, and actively share knowledge with other groups about engaging the incarcerated community in conservation and
• Provide valuable contributions to SPP programs and contribute to the establishment of the SPP Network

Required Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in an Evergreen graduate program

• Available to work 19 hours a week, mainly during office hours Monday-Friday (some hours may be flexible)

§  Subject-matter and technical expertise are desirable, but can be taught on the job and are not

required

• Excellent social and communication skills are essential.

• Willingness and ability to recruit and guide guest experts
• Current driver’s license and available and reliable vehicle for trips to prisons in western Washington (mileage will be reimbursed)
• Willingness and ability to work safely in a correctional setting and to communicate and collaborate with Corrections staff and supervisors to address concerns and respond to inmate requests;

employment contingent on successful Correction’s security clearance (so program access is possible!)

• Willingness and ability to follow directions, collaborate on projects, and give and hear feedback